Frans was the paternal great grandfather of my friends Heidi and Kurt Thornbladh. Frans was born on 13 December 1863 in Carlskrona (or Karlskrona), Sweden. I learned from my friend Heidi that that there is not much family information on her paternal great grandparents. It seems that her grandfather had left home as a young man because he was upset and chose to walk away from his parents. So, now, as a genealogist, I focus on the few facts I can piece together about the life of this Swedish paternal great grandfather.
I found a record for Frans listed in Swedish household examination books. His residence at the time of the record was Eskilstuna Kloster och Fors, Södermanlands, Södermanland, Sweden. I am not sure of the exact date of the record.
Frans married Hilda Vilhelmina Pettersson on December 26, 1886. This makes Hilda the paternal great grandmother of my Thornbladh friends.
Again, using Swedish examination booklets, I found these children recorded for Frans and Hilda:
June 5 1880 Emilie Isabella (great aunt to my friends)
Sep 28 1889 Elsa Matilda (great aunt to my friends)
Sep 2 1893 Erik Teodor Ferdinand (great uncle to my friends)
Mar 4 1897 Nils Magnus (grandfather to my friends)
Not listed in the record above is a possible additional daughter Gunhild who I believe died when she was just one year old in 1888.
There is a big gap in years of birth and this sometimes signals to genealogists that one or more births are missing from the records. I simply do not know!
In the examination record, a younger sister of Frans is also listed. Her name was Emilie Matilda Nilsson born on Jan 31 1874.
I found a birth record for Nils Magnus. Remember,Nils was my friends paternal grandfather, the same man who apparently left home as a very young man leaving his father Frans and mother Hilda over a probable dispute.
I found a transcribed record below (cannot view the original document) showing Frans’ emmigration from Sweden to Denmark. (note: the occupation of “barn” just means a child) This record shows that at the age of 11, Frans left Sweden with his family and moved to Denmark. I am unable to find out if this was a short or long stay abroad. This record is helpful because it lists the name of his father as “Per Tornblad Olsson.”
I believe that Frans died sometime around 1950 in Sweden. I will continue to update this story if more information becomes available. Your feedback and comments are welcome.
Many of the Swedish examination books are available on the Family Search website. (You may be required to create a free account with the LDS Family Search site in order to view the records) Also, note that the list available by using the link below gives information on Frans and other people who had the same name…
telling life stories 